How and Why You Should Be Blogging: Set up your WordPress Blog for Success

In this presentation we will discuss:
- Why should you blog?
- Why WordPress?
- Why mommy blogging?
- Setting up your blog
- Naming your blog
- Hosting
- Appearance / theme
- Creating a blog post
- Setting up email and creating a list
- Promoting your posts on social media
- Essential plugins
- Making money with your blog

1. Setting up a WordPress Blog
for success!

2. Welcome!
Who am I?
Heather Step
-Mom to Nicholas! 10 years old!
-He is the reason I started blogging –first infertility, then motherhood,
then widowhood. (onestepatatime.co.za)
-Founder of SA Mom Blogs –a network for SA parenting bloggers.
Showcasing and supporting bloggers (Facebook group, awards)
(samomblogs.co.za)
-Online English Teacher (englishsteps.online)

3. Why do you want to blog?

4. Blogging… passion?

5. Blogging –
business?

6. A bit of both?
Connections.

7. Why WordPress?
•WordPress powers nearly one-third of the world’s websites, from
small personal blogs to the complex sites of major corporations such
as Sony, Time Inc., the New York Post, and NBC.WordPressis only one
of the site builders and content management systems users can
download and install for free, but it has unique features that make it
the most popular content management system in use today.
(Reference: Bluehost)
•Flexible and Customisable(Themes) (Plugins)
•User friendly –easy to work with
•SEO friendliness (Because: updated, tools e.g. Yoast plugin)

8. Why mommy blogging?
•Connection and support
•Potential for profit:
By the end of 2014 there were 4.4 million mom bloggers and 90% of consumers trust peers
for recommendations for product purchases. (5 Fast Facts About Moms Who Blog)
According to NogginWokMedia Group Moms account for over 85% of all purchasing
decisions: (93% food, 80% healthcare, 61% electronics, 92% vacations, 65% new cars, 89%
bank accounts, 91% new homes and 75% household goods).
In this article (How Moms will influence retail in 2015) some impressive stats are put
together about how bloggers and people on social media influence buying
decisions. (99% will research online before buying, 92% of moms have purchased a
product after hearing about a blogger’s firsthand experience with it, 69% more likely to
purchase from someone they follow on social media, 91% trust blogs for product
information, 83% find the blogger’s report more authentic than traditional media channels).
They conclude that “not having a blogger outreach program is a hugely missed opportunity
–offering bloggers free or loaned product means they can actually share that first hand
experience”.

9. Setting Up Your Blog
•HOST: Own your own spot on the internet
•DOMAIN NAME: Your street address
•WORDPRESS: Your platform

10. Name of your blog
•Memorable
•Easy to spell
•Relevant to your niche
•Adaptable through
time changes
•Relevant ending
(.co.za/.com)

11. Hosting
•Need a reliable host (good reputation)
•99% uptime
•Different price plans/ options
•Support
•Assistance in installing WordPress
•I use Hostgatorand Domains.co.za

12. Appearance
•First impressions count
•Builds trust and establishes your brand
•Themes: can be free or paid
•Examples: Kadence, Restored 316
•Create a logo and flavicon
•Essential pages: Home, About, Contact, Privacy Policy
•Permalink –SEO friendly

13. Creating a blog post

14. Set up email and create a list
•An email with your domain name creates
professionality
•You can also put it in your Gmail
•Give your customers a freebie in exchange for
their email address
•Mailing list providers: e.g. MailPoet, MailerLite
•Send out a regular newsletter with appropriate
content
•Subscribers very valuable and they are yours,
not at the mercy of social media

15. Promote your posts on social media
•Instagram (links in bio)
•Facebook (post into groups –
SA Bloggers, SA Mom Blogs,
moms groups)
•Pinterest (Join my boards -
https://za.pinterest.com/sout
hafricanmom/_saved/)

16. Plugins
•AkismetAnti Spam
•Google Analytics GA4
•Social media sharing
•And much more!

17. “Show me the money!”
1.Affiliate marketing: You can recommend products or services related to your blog
niche and earn a commission for each sale made through your unique affiliate link.
2.Sponsored content: You can partner with brands and companies to create
sponsored blog posts, where you promote their products or services in exchange
for payment. Sign up with TheSalt, Webfluential, brand advisor (trade exchange)
Humanzapp
3.Display advertising: You can display ads on your blog and earn money based on the
number of impressions or clicks they receive. E.g. Google Adwords
4.Digital products: You can create and sell your own digital products, such as ebooks,
courses, or printables, related to your blog niche.
5.Coaching or consulting: If you're an expert in your blog niche, you can offer
coaching or consulting services to your readers for a fee.
6.Events or webinars: You can host events or webinars related to your blog niche and
charge for attendance or access to recordings.

18. Still confused? Want step by step videos?
Introducing my course:
Learn WordPress with my videos in
five hours!
You could set it up in a weekend, but I
recommend a few months (we all have
lives!)

19. I will
help you
go from
this to
this:

20. Your “Start a WordPress Blog from Scratch”
curriculum: Step by step videos
•Your WHAT and WHY: What do you want to blog about? And why?
•Setting up: Hosting, domain and andadding WordPress to your blog.
•Appearance: Setting up a theme, making your logo and flavicon, making
your menu, editing your home page, four essential pages for your blog and
creating a permalink.
•Blog post: How to do a blog post.
•Setting up your email and creating a list: Creating a professional email and
putting it in your Gmail, Mailing list providers and creating an opt in form.
How to send out a newsletter.
•Social media: Using Facebook and Instagram to promote your posts.
•Plugins: Overview, then setting up plugins for Google Analytics, Akismet
Anti Spam and Social Media sharing icons.
•Ideas to make moneyand relevant links for SA mom bloggers plus some
international ones too.

21. Act now and get these bonus planners!

22. Thank you!
https://www.simplestepsbloggingsummit.com/startyourownblog
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